Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Botswana instead of Ireland, you would:
Health
be 29.0% less likely to be obese
In Ireland, 27.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Botswana, that number is 19.8% of people as of 2024.
be 78.5 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Ireland, 0.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Botswana, that number is 15.7% of people as of 2024.
live 13.7 years less
In Ireland, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024. In Botswana, that number is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024.
see 85.1% less spent on your healthcare
Ireland spends $8,772 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Botswana spends $1,310 as of 2023.
have 90.2% fewer doctors per person
Ireland has 38.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Botswana has 3.8 as of 2023.
have 33.7% less access to essential health services
Ireland scores 83 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Botswana scores 55 as of 2021.
Economy
be 5.3 times more likely to be unemployed
In Ireland, 4.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Botswana, that number is 24.5% as of 2025.
make 94.1% less money
Ireland has a GDP per capita of $131,592 as of 2025, while in Botswana, the GDP per capita is $7,778 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.4 times more children
In Ireland, there are approximately 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Botswana, there are 24.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 38.8 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Ireland, approximately 4.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Botswana, 155.0 women do as of 2023.
be 9.4 times more likely to die during infancy
In Ireland, approximately 3.4 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Botswana, on the other hand, 32.1 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 24.0% less likely to have access to electricity
In Ireland, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Botswana, that number is 76% of people on average (98% in urban areas, and 25% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 40.9% less likely to have internet access
In Ireland, approximately 97.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Botswana, about 57.5% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 2.8 times more on education
Ireland spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Botswana spends 8.1% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
Safety
be 17.5 times more likely to be murdered
Ireland has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Botswana, that number is 11.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 5.9 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Ireland, road accidents kill 2.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Botswana, they kill 16.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 72.3% less strain on fresh water
Ireland withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Botswana withdraws 2% as of 2022.
find 77.0% less home broadband
Ireland has 32.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Botswana has 7.4 as of 2024.
use 73.9% less electricity
Ireland uses 6,298 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Botswana uses 1,641 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 54.6% less CO2
Ireland emits 6.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Botswana emits 2.7 tonnes as of 2024.
be 4.2 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Ireland, air pollution causes 13.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Botswana, it causes 55.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Ireland vs. Botswana
Botswana: At a glance
How big is Botswana compared to Ireland? See an in-depth size comparison.